


Apple White and the Seven Wonderlanders

by SapphicFlaaffy (Mayasato)



Category: Ever After High
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Snow White Fusion, F/F, Fairy Tale Retellings, Fluff, Mischief, Misunderstandings, Poison Apples, True Love's Kiss, Wonderland
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-27 00:21:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17151782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mayasato/pseuds/SapphicFlaaffy
Summary: The queen Raven, looking for the fairest in the land, finds the image of Apple White, and instantly develops a crush on her.Apple was just minding her own business when the notorious evil queen Raven summons her to the castle! She has to run away to save her own life.A retelling of Snow White using the EAH cast and cute, fun misunderstandings.A gift for tumblr user coatrackincrocs for the EAH 2018 Gift Exchange.





	Apple White and the Seven Wonderlanders

Queen Raven, daughter of the recently vanished Evil Queen and inheritor of her title, was finding nothing at all fun about ruling over a kingdom.

Transition between powers was always rocky, and dignitaries from foreign kingdoms were swamping the baby queen by the dozens each week asking favors and mercies, and, of course, marriage. It seemed like every prince in the world thought her in need of a husband, which was of course to be him alone.

Though Raven would admit to herself that she was lonely learning how to rule all by herself, and a bit shaken at the sudden disappearance of her mother, but none of the flattery of the princes made her feel anything but mild annoyance. They would kneel at her feet, sing her praises, and call her dark beauty “the fairest of them all,” the latter of which certainly wasn’t true, she thought. She glanced in the large mirror that hung on the wall of her bedchambers, wrinkling her nose as she looked herself over. She was pretty, sure, and she couldn’t say she was dissatisfied with her looks, but whoever she would end up marrying would hopefully have better things to say about her than _that_.

A thought struck her. “Magic mirror on the wall,” she began, in her crisp, queenly intonation, “Who _is_ the fairest of them all?”

“’Tis not you, my queen, though many might claim so,” the mirror replied in a haunting voice. “The one you search for has lips red as blood, hair bright as sunshine, skin white as snow.”

The surface of the magic mirror rippled, showing unto Raven a silent scene of several village girls chatting, including one uniquely beautiful maiden matching the mirror’s description. She wore a deep red skirt over a cream colored, puffy-sleeved blouse, and a matching red scarf pulling back her blonde curly hair. Her lips were rose-red, pulled wide into a smile as she laughed at something, maybe a joke a friend told her. Her blue eyes glimmered, and Raven was transfixed.

“The fairest of them all is Apple White,” the mirror continued.

“I mean yeah, don’t have to tell me twice,” Raven whispered. Suddenly, the faces of the maiden’s friends came into her focus, and she realized that one face in particular she recognized all too well.

“Send in the huntsman!” she called out, expecting the guardsmen outside her door to forward the orders to the needed parties.

Scant minutes later, the huntsman (who, against all odds, was named Hunter) entered her chambers, looking very confused and nervous about the fact. 

“M-my queen,” he stammered, stooping into a low bow. “How might I serve Your Majesty?”

“At ease, Hunter,” Raven soothed, settling once again into her royal tone, and watched as the man stood back up, the fear still in his eyes. “You have a sweetheart in the Village of Bookend, yes? Strawberry blonde hair, green eyes?”

The huntsman’s face went deathly pale, his eyes widening. How had she found out? Ashlynn was a secret from everyone else in the castle, kept safe away from his life as the Evil Queen’s huntsman. Did the queen intend to use her as leverage against him? Hold her hostage, have her executed for his disrespect? 

“I-I… Yes, my queen, but I promise that my relationship with her does nothing to interfere with my service to Your Majesty!”

Raven twisted up her face in confusion. “Well, I should hope not? Um…” she cleared her throat, attempting to sound more queenly once more. “It has come to my attention that your girlfriend is friends with someone else in the village who I have… business with. Her name is Apple White. Are the two of you acquainted?”

Hunter nodded, though not in the least placated. “We are, my queen.”

The queen’s face brightened like he had never seen before. “Wonderful! I have a very important mission for you, then.” She snapped her fingers, summoning a quill and parchment in a puff of purple smoke, which immediately began composing a message. While the ink scrawled across the page, Raven continued. “You are to travel to Bookend, and hand this letter off to her.”

At last, the quill came to a stop, and the parchment rolled itself up into a presentable scroll in the queen’s hands. She passed it off to her huntsman. “And please, make sure she reads it,” she added, and felt relief at Hunter’s nod of understanding.

She dismissed him without any more fuss, and returned to the view of her new object of affections in the magic mirror. She hoped Apple wouldn’t feel too overwhelmed by a courting proposition from the queen. With the best of luck, Hunter would deliver her message of intention, and Apple would accept and visit the castle where Raven could truly begin the process of getting to know her, and maybe even winning her over.

She smiled at the fading image of Apple in the mirror, sighing into her pillow. She’d never considered herself much of a romantic, nor a scholar, but she found herself excited to start studying the courtship rituals and dating habits of peasants.

* * *

Apple White lived a pleasant, albeit quiet, life in the secluded village of Bookend, together with her friends Ashlynn and Briar.

“Oh! That’s Hunter! Hunter’s here!” Ashlynn cheered. She and Hunter were the sappiest couple Apple had ever met.

Hunter rode up on his horse, an unusually downtrodden look on his face. “Hi, sweet pea,” he greeted as he dismounted, sweeping Ashlynn into a chaste kiss. “How are things today?”

“Same village life as always,” Ashlynn assured, “but you look upset. Is something wrong?”

He said nothing at first, his eyes flickered nervously towards Apple, of all people, and then towards the pack across his horse’s flank. “The queen gave me an assignment yesterday,” he began.

Apple felt herself flinch. The newly crowned queen was of a long line of cruel and evil monarchs, who punished all dissent and crushed enemies under their heels. Hunter didn’t enjoy working for the royal family, they all knew, but the position paid well, and if he betrayed the crown by quitting, who knows how he would be punished.

“I am to give this to you, Apple,” Hunter continued, pulling out an elegant scroll, tied with a purple ribbon. “And make sure that you read it.”

She froze in terror. “What the heck would the queen want with a village girl like Apple?” Briar asked, trying to cover up her nervousness with bold sass.

Apple grasped the scroll with trembling fingers, and unwrapped the ribbon binding it. Hunter and Briar both gathered behind her, clamoring to read the missive over her shoulder.

The scene went silent as all three tore their eyes over the letter, Ashlynn standing nearby waiting for the verdict.

“Fairest in the land?” Briar whispered in shock.

“Beauty that supposedly rivals her own…” murmured Hunter.

Briar gasped. “Summoned to the castle?!”

Apple looked towards Hunter. “Why would she want to see me?”

“Do you think she’s jealous of your looks and wants to steal your face or something?” Briar muttered.

Hunter bit down on the nail of his thumb. “You might not be that far off,” he said, “The queen is skilled in dark magic, even more so than her mother was. If she’s heard that Apple is prettier than her, it’s possible that…”

Everyone went silent at the implications of the statement.

“W-What do I do?” Apple whimpered. If she didn’t come at the queen’s call, she would likely be retrieved by her soldiers, or even killed for her transgression. Ashlynn brought her into her arms protectively. 

“I mean, run away, right?” said Briar. “Go somewhere she can’t find you.”

“But then—!” Ashlynn gasped. “Hunter, would the queen take out her anger on you?”

He was silent for a moment, and then lifted his head, a determined look on his face. “Briar’s right. Apple, you have to run.” He grabbed her by the shoulders dramatically. “I won’t let the queen hurt any of my friends. If she has a problem with it, I’ll face whatever consequences I have to.”

“Hunter…” sniffled Ashlynn.

“Go, Apple, run!” Hunter bid, and Apple found her feet carrying her towards the nearby woods.

“Stay safe, Apple!”

“We love you, Apple!”

“I love you all!” she called back, barely holding back tears, as she ran into the unknown.

* * *

The unknown sucked.

Apple lived in a village for a reason; she knew very little about nature or navigation like Ashlynn or Hunter might have had. She’d been walking through a mystery stretch of woods for two days now, and she had no clue where she was, or if she’d even distanced herself much from Bookend. How embarrassing would it be to end up right back where she started!

Though, Apple thought to herself, she hadn’t seen anything quite like this in her life. A signpost, standing on its own, with arrows pointing several directions (including up and down), all labeled with nonsensical places she had never heard of before, standing on its own in the middle of the woods. She looked about—not a pathway in sight. What an odd choice, to build your signpost where nobody would come across it.

“Well,” she mused out loud. “Nobody but me. Maybe it’s supposed to help lost travelers.” Her eyes focused on one of the only arrows that seemed to make sense. “Wonderland Grove…” she read out loud, and followed the direction of the arrow to a large moss-covered boulder nearby. Surely, she thought, one boulder couldn’t count as an entire grove.

She approached it, and reached out to touch the moss only to have it give under her touch. She pressed once more, and found that the moss wasn’t covering the surface of a rock, but curtaining the entrance to a cave. 

She cautiously pushed her way inside, and suddenly found herself in what felt like a completely different world. The other side of the moss was filled with color and light, almost to the point where it hurt her eyes. The surrounding cave walls opened up to reveal bright, key lime green grass and a path that led to a colorful chateau. The building couldn’t seem to decide what it wanted to be, appearing more like a cottage on its base, but expanding out into suspended attachments that spanned a range of architectures—a red castle, a neon tea shop, a pink wooden hutch, even a few tree houses built into branches emerging from the windows. It was like nothing Apple had ever seen before.

She made to knock on the door, but noticed that it was already unlatched. Somebody must be home then, she thought, and rapped firmly on the wood. “Hello?” she called. “Sorry to bother you!” She opened the door wider herself and squeaked when a teacup was sent rolling in front of her feet.

“Is anyone home?” Taking care not to disturb anything else on the ground, she walked further into the house. The foyer was dimly lit, maybe half of the candles on the chandeliers aflame, but from what she could see, the inside of this strange cottage seemed to make about as little sense as the outside. There were couches and coffee tables standing sideways on the walls, a tire swing hanging from one of the chandeliers, and doors of all shapes and sizes leading who-knows-where against the back wall. “What a strange place,” Apple muttered out loud.

She made her way into what seemed to be a kitchen, framed by a doorway that looked like it had been made by enthusiastic use of a wrecking ball. The stove was burning with nothing on it, and the dishes were sitting in the sink covered in crumbs. Apple looked around cautiously. She tended to take pride in her good manners and etiquette, which entering a stranger’s house uninvited certainly was not, but maybe doing some cleaning up would be helpful. Whoever lived here didn’t seem to be home, anyway.

“When they come back and see how I’ve cleaned up the place, maybe they’ll let me hide from the evil queen here,” she planned out loud. Grabbing an apron from a hook on the wall, she put it on and got to work.

They were simple chores, really. She turned off the burner, turned on the sink tap, and began washing away the crumbs and scraps, humming a tune to herself. Time passed quickly as she finished one dish after another, putting each one on a nearby rack to dry, when a noise and smell caught her attention. Apple turned abruptly to see the stove she’d just turned off, back on and running again. “Maybe I didn’t do it quite right,” she reasoned, and turned the knob once more, making sure this time that the flame went all the way out. Satisfied with her job, she turned back to the washbasin and balked to see all the dishes she’d washed back in the sink and dirty. Apple sputtered in shock. “I—how?”

“The kitchen has a mind of its own,” a tiny voice said. “Nobody here is a big fan of cooking or cleaning, so we let the house take care of the chores.”

Apple looked down and gasped when she saw a small white rabbit peering back up at her. She glanced wildly left and right, looking for someone else the voice could have come from.

“I’m Bunny,” the same voice said, this time definitely from the rabbit. She wiggled her nose slightly. “Who are you? How did you get here?”

Apple curtsied politely towards her host. “My name’s Apple. I’m running from an evil queen, and I found this place when I got lost in the woods.”

In a burst of light, Bunny shifted from a white rabbit to an orchid-skinned girl, though still bearing white hair and rabbit ears. “An evil queen?” she echoed, eyes wide. “Oh, how scary. My roommates will be home soon. I’m sure we can convince them to let you stay with us.”

The two of them passed more time together there in the kitchen, talking about Apple’s life in Bookend and Bunny’s in Wonderland Grove. Bunny had six other roommates here in the house, all of whom thrived under the topsy-turvy rules of the grove. “There’s Maddie, Lizzie, Kitty, Chase, Alistair, and Courtly,” she listed off on her fingers.

Apple giggled. “Sounds like a lively group.”

“Definitely livelier than I can handle sometimes, but I love them all the same,” said Bunny.

Almost as if on cue, the front door burst open and with it, the sound of six people coming home filled the house.

“Bunny, we’re home!” trilled out one voice. “We brought all sorts of fancy teas and carrot treats, just for you!”

Bunny laughed. “I’m in the kitchen, everyone!”

Apple watched as the six people filed into the room. Based on Bunny’s previous descriptions of each one, it was almost too easy to discern who was who. She guessed that the warbling voice from earlier belonged to the teal-haired girl, who had to be Maddie Hatter.

“Bunny, who is this stranger, and what is she doing in our house?” asked the shortest girl, and the red heart painted over her eye leading Apple to deduce this must be Lizzie Hearts.

“This is Apple! She needs our help to escape an evil queen,” Bunny explained. She clasped her hands to her chest pleadingly. “Can she live here while she has to hide?”

“I don’t see why not!” chirped Maddie, immediately coming over and batting at Apple’s hair. “The more the merrier!”

“Yes, of course you can stay with us,” added a boy in blue—Alistair, Apple presumed. Two other residents, the boy in red and the girl with cat ears, nodded and shrugged respectively, while Lizzie continued frowning.

“She can stay if she must.” She upturned her nose indignantly. “But she is not to touch anything on my side of the estate.”

Apple quickly got settled into a guest room after receiving the blessing of all seven Wonderlanders, and fell asleep that night knowing she was safe from the watch of the evil queen.

* * *

“Your Majesty, the huntsman has returned from the village of Bookend.”

Raven closed the book she had been reading and shifted her posture atop her throne. She had seen (but not heard) what happened between Hunter and Apple through the power of her mirror, and was perhaps more confused than disappointed at what she’d seen. She knew she was intimidating both by lineage and her own disposition, but she didn’t think she would scare one girl away like that just for calling her pretty and inviting her over.

Hunter entered the room, head lowered politely as he stopped and bowed to her. “Your Majesty.”

She waved a hand. “At ease, Hunter.” He straightened up, eyes still glued to the floor. “Care to explain to me what happened in the village? I don’t suppose you brought Apple back with you.”

“No, my queen,” he said. “I searched for her all over the village, including her own house, and asked the townspeople her whereabouts, but not a single one knew where she had gone. I bring the scroll back to Your Majesty, unopened.”

A bold-faced lie. Raven’s face twisted unpleasantly. “Hunter, do you take me for a fool?” she snapped. “I know you talked to her in the village, and I know that she read the scroll and ran away!”

Finally, the huntsman’s eyes met her, wide in shock. “You—how?”

“Does it matter?” She didn’t like to give away the secrets of her magic mirror if she could help it; no doubt it would make her people mistrust her even more than they already did. “Why did you tell her to run away after she read my letter?” At least, she was guessing that’s what happened.

Hunter’s gaze hardened, despite his apparent fear. “With all due respect, my queen, my concern for innocent people comes before my loyalty to Your Majesty, and I would never let a friend of mine get hurt while following your orders.”

Raven frowned, confusion building. “Hurt?” she echoed. “Why would she be hurt?”

At this, Hunter seemed to be at a loss for words. “Well…” he floundered. “I suppose I… well, I assumed that she would be coming to harm by Your Majesty’s hand.”

Raven laughed. “What? How? Did you think I was going to have her executed for being too pretty or something? No,” she waved her hand. “I would see no purpose in hurting someone I am intending to court.”

“…Court?”

“Yes, if she is amenable. Which, at the moment, seems unlikely.” She sighed.

Hunter was now staring back at the ground, looking as if he was trying to figure out a particularly hard math problem.

Raven chose to continue. “It’s no matter. Clearly there was some misunderstanding, and if Apple did not desire my advances, then I hope you can apologize to her on my behalf for frightening her.”

“If you do want to court her, my queen,” Hunter interjected. “You _are_ her type.”

The statement surprised a laugh out of her; none of her subjects had ever tried to be so familiar with her. “That does give me a bit more confidence,” she chuckled. “But she clearly rejected my letter.”

“Only because she didn’t understand your intentions,” he said. “I guess we don’t know where she is, since she ran away, but when I see her again, I’ll tell her everything!”

Raven smiled. Having Hunter’s blessing certainly made her feel better about the strange situation. “No need for that,” she said gently. “I can find where she is easily using my magic.”

He apparently hadn’t thought of that. “Oh.”

“But I might like some advice on what sort of courting gifts she would like?” she asked shyly.

After one of the friendliest conversations she’d had in a long time, Raven retreated back into her private quarters and summoned the image of Apple on her mirror once more. The glass rippled to life, showing the village maiden wearing a different red dress, surrounded by bright colors, and—

“Is that Maddie?”

Madeline Hatter was a longtime friend of Raven’s from the days before she was a symbol of fear and power, and she didn’t have to sneak around in disguise to get out of the castle. The other Wonderlanders were friends too, but none of them were as close to her as Maddie.

Raven now knew exactly where Apple was, and could throw in a surprise visit to Wonderland Grove while she was at it. She eagerly began sorting through her wardrobe looking for some sort of not-too-evil-queen-y travel wear, and potential gifts. Hunter had said she would enjoy being courted like a noble; she’d pack some lavish gifts in red and gold colors, and bring her spellbooks and magic supplies just in case she needed to add a personal touch.

* * *

Apple had been living in Wonderland Grove for about a week when a visitor approached through the back garden path, and Maddie lost her mind with excitement.

“Raven’s here!” she cried, running towards the hooded traveler with open arms. “Oh, Raven, you didn’t tell me you were coming to visit! Is it my birthday? My not-birthday?”

Raven giggled and hugged her friend back before pulling the hood back from her face. “No special occasion, Maddie.” The girl under the hood was pale, like she rarely set foot in the sun, and had dark hair that came to a delicate widow’s peak at her forehead. Her lips were painted a dark magenta that complimented the orchid hue of her dress. She had more pronounced features in comparison to Apple’s softer, rounder ones, and was taller to boot.

In other words, she was very, very pretty.

“Apple, Apple!” Maddie called, snapping her out of her pretty girl induced daze. “This is Raven, my bestest friend forever after! And Raven, this is Apple, our newest resident here in Wonderland Grove! She’s on the run from an _evil queen_ ,” she sang the last two words in a spooky warble.

Raven laughed strangely. “Evil queen, huh? Sounds, uh, scary.”

“You wouldn’t happen to know her, would you?” Maddie asked. “After all, you are a—“

“Castle maid!” Raven interjected, startling Apple just a bit. “I work in a nearby kingdom, serving their royal family, so sometimes I hear political gossip, you know? Crazy stuff.” Next to her, Maddie’s face was scrunched up in confusion.

Apple laughed at Raven’s awkwardness; it was endearing. “Sounds exciting. I’m not worried about the evil queen for now, though. I’ve been here a week with no problem at all.”

Raven smiled. “That’s a relief.”

“Come on, slowpokes!” Maddie cheered. “We have to get a whole new guest room prepared before tea time!”

While Maddie fussed about the guest rooms and the tea, Apple and Raven sat themselves in the parlor, allowing Raven to set down her pack for a minute. “Sitting down feels nice,” she sighed. “I’m not used to walking for so long holding so much.”

Apple laughed. “What do you have in that bag that makes it so heavy?”

“Oh, um,” Raven’s face glowed pink. “Just essentials, mostly. But I did bring, uh—“ she dug through the large pack awkwardly, tossing books and strange-looking bottles to the side. Perhaps Raven’s definition of essentials was different from Apple’s. 

“I brought this!” she finally declared, holding up a beautiful red and gold corset. “To, you know, uh… sell?”

Made sense to Apple. The corset was beautiful, and looked incredibly expensive. Who knows how Raven had gotten her hands on it as just a castle maid. She had to hold back a soft gasp when she noticed just how intricate the gold embroidery was. “This is… incredibly well made,” she breathed, leaning closer to it.

“Haha, yeah, it’s up there,” Raven said vaguely. “Do you like it?”

Apple laughed at the question. “How could I not? I’ve never even seen something this expensive up close.”

“Then,” she fidgeted in her chair. “Y-You can have it, if you’d like.”

Apple did gasp this time. “What? No, I could never. You could make a fortune off of this, I wouldn’t rob you of that.”

“I don’t really need the money,” Raven insisted. “I’m going to be in the castle for the rest of my life no matter what.” She paused as a thought seemed to come to her. “And,” she continued, “if you didn’t take it from me, you’d be robbing me of the chance to see you wearing it.”

Apple snorted and slapped her hand gently. Goodness, that was definitely flirting. This girl was trying to woo her with an expensive corset. “You’re so sweet,” she said, and meant it. “But I can’t just take something like this when I have nothing to give in return.”

“Yeah, it is a bit much, isn’t it?” She laughed. “Can I ask if you’d at least like to try it on?” She held the corset out towards her.

“Ooh yes, I’d love that!”

While the two of them went about slipping a corset over Apple’s dress, Lizzie, Courtly, and Kitty were watching the scene from the bench swing directly outside. “Such an extravagant corset doesn’t suit someone common like Apple,” Lizzie sighed. “She is certainly beautiful, but has none of the poise required to pull it off!”

“What’s the deal with Raven just coming to visit and giving out expensive gifts to our guest?” Kitty asked from her lounging spot on top of the bench frame. “She’s never brought us anything like that.”

Lizzie tutted. “Is it not obvious? The queen is clearly trying to court her.”

Courtly seemed to perk up at the news. “Reeeaaally~?” she drew out the word. Taking another look inside the parlor window, she saw that Raven had finished tightening the lacing and was admiring her handiwork while Apple showed off.

“Hey, Kitty.” Courtly nudged her head towards them, a mischievous grin on her face. “Wanna mess with ‘em a bit?”

Kitty grinned back in her signature Cheshire way, knowing exactly what Courtly was thinking. Her body disappeared in a cascade of magic, reappearing inside the parlor right behind Apple.

“Ooh, Apple! Need that tightened a bit more?” Without waiting for a response, she tugged hard on the lacing, eliciting a breathless squeak from the other girl.

“Kitty, she can’t breathe!” Raven yelled, running forward to catch Apple as she fell forward into her arms. Kitty just laughed and teleported herself back outside, where Lizzie was frowning disapprovingly and Courtly was laughing it up over Raven’s sappy display.

Raven finally spotted them from inside, hearing Courtly’s obnoxiously loud laughter, and shot a glare their way, to which Kitty stuck her tongue out and winked. Luckily, Apple hadn’t completely fainted from that stupid ‘joke,’ but it was still important to make sure she could breathe easier again.

“Can you stand, Apple? Let me help you get that off…” She began to loosen and untie the laces—easy to do with her arms already wrapped around her sides. “I’m so sorry, I would never want to hurt you.”

Apple giggled weakly. “Why are you apologizing, silly? That was Kitty, right?” Even breathless and a bit spooked, she could still feel the elation of having a pretty girl wrap her arms around her and essentially undress her.

“It was still my gift,” Raven argued.

Apple shrugged, grinning. “I don’t regret trying it on; I looked good in it.”

Raven laughed. “You did.”

“And it’s undamaged, so you can still sell it!”

Raven had almost forgotten her cover story, and was about to agree and lie in a very unconvincing way when Chase and Alistair entered the room.

“We heard commotion, what’s going on?” Alistair asked in concern.

“Can you take Apple to the kitchen to get her some water?” said Raven, eager to change the subject and make sure Apple was alright. “Kitty tried to kill her via corset.”

Alistair laughed at the hyperbole, but Chase frowned. “I’ll give her a talking to,” he said sternly. “Her pranks go too far sometimes.”

“That’s true, but I’m sure she wasn’t really trying to kill her,” Alistair assured, helping Apple to her feet along with Raven.

“You’re too soft on her,” Chase scolded, and the two of them continued to have a firm but loving argument as they helped Apple to the kitchens.

Raven smiled as they left, then turned around to open the window and give the pranksters a talking-to. “What in the world was that?”

Lizzie scoffed indignantly. “I had nothing to do with that childish display.”

“I didn’t think so. Kitty, Courtly?”

Kitty giggled, dangling upside down off of the bench frame. “If you really think about it, we were doing you a favor!”

“She probably wouldn’t have let ya get all touchy-feely otherwise,” Courtly added, snickering.

Raven glared. “Even if that _was_ a matchmaking attempt, I don’t need help flirting with her.”

“Maybe not,” Courtly sang, “But it’d be a bloomin’ shame if your lady love found out that you were the evil queen she was running from, wouldn’t it now?”

Raven froze. “Courtly, please don’t tell her,” she said through gritted teeth.

“Why not? I thought good girls were always supposed to tell the truth.” Courtly laughed. “Nah, don’t get your crown in a twist, I won’t tell her until I find a really juicy moment for it.”

Raven scowled, but knew that arguing with either prankster wouldn’t get her anywhere, and bid them a terse farewell.

Kitty looked towards her partner in crime, her face red from the blood rushing downwards. “I didn’t even realize Raven was our scary evil queen.”

“Yeah, it’s rich, right? You learn things when you’re not taking catnaps,” Courtly laughed. “We’re gonna have oodles of fun messin’ with the two of them!”

* * *

Raven ended up just stuffing the corset back into the bottom of her things.

Her next idea was to use her magic and enchant a comb she brought; it was practical, still elegant, but not so flamboyantly royal that it would make Apple hesitant to accept it. And it would have Raven’s own personal magic touch, too. It took her only a few hours huddled over books and ingredients in her guest bed to get the spells right. By the end of it, she had an ornate yet functional hair comb, enchanted to instantly detangle and style Apple’s hair however she might desire at the time.

She dragged the teeth of the comb through her hair just once, to make sure it wouldn’t go horribly wrong, and was pleased when her dark locks came through silky smooth. Now, to go about giving the present to Apple.

The obvious roadblock was the threat of Courtly or Kitty showing up and sabotaging any courting attempts, so she asked Apple to take a walk with her in the rose garden, which was usually empty save for Lizzie and Chase’s morning rose-painting and gardening. She placed the hair comb in a small gift box and waited for an opportunity to give it to her.

Apple met her at the intended time, eager to explore a part of the grove that she’d not yet been to. Also, Raven had it on good authority from Bunny that roses were one of Apple’s favorite flowers.

They walked for about half an hour until they came to the little gazebo Raven had in mind for the gift giving. Apple seemed charmed by it, and happily took the chance to sit down at one of the benches and rest with her.

“The gardens really are beautiful,” she said, looking around at the scenery.

Raven nodded. “I was hoping you hadn’t seen them yet, so I could show you. I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

She made to pull out the box from her pocket, but a sudden loud rustling from a nearby tree made both girls jump in surprise. “Is that Bunny?” Apple asked, squinting to a figure Raven could barely make out.

A voice that was definitely Bunny’s squeaked out, “Help!” and the box was forgotten on the bench as Raven and Apple both ran over to get the girl down from the tree.

“How did this happen?” Apple asked. 

Bunny was fully grasping a large branch of the tree, looking absolutely terrified. “Courtly boosted me up here to pick lemons, and then she just left without saying when she’d come back!”

Raven made a face. Was Courtly just out to get everyone recently? “If you transform into a rabbit, we can catch you,” she suggested.

Bunny gulped and nodded at the idea. She hurriedly shifted into her rabbit form, and, no longer able to grab the entire branch with her stubby legs, almost immediately slipped out of the tree and into Apple’s waiting hands.

“Gotcha,” said Apple. “Are you alright?”

Bunny gracefully hopped out of her hands and wriggled her nose. “Yes! Thank you both.” She transformed smoothly back into her human form, and gave them a little wave. “I’d better find Courtly and see what the status is on lemon-picking. I’ll see you both for dinner!”

Both Apple and Raven were a bit perplexed at how she could go on like nothing had happened, but laughed and bid farewell nonetheless. “So,” Apple said afterwards. “Where were we?”

“Um…” Raven struggled to remember. “The gazebo!” And her gift. Without offering explanation, she ran back there herself, grabbed the box from the bench, and held it out to Apple on her return.

“I’m a pretty skilled witch, and I wanted an excuse to work on some hair styling magic, you know, for practicality,” she lied through her teeth. “So I enchanted this comb to automatically detangle and style your hair however you like. And I want you to have it.”

Apple carefully opened the box and picked up the small comb inside. Was it just Raven’s nerves, or did it look a little different than before?

“This is so thoughtful of you!” Apple grinned. “I’ve been having so much trouble with all the Wonderland brushes and combs; you know they just kind of do what they want.”

Raven laughed. “Yeah, it’s rough. So…” She toed the dirt nervously. “Do you accept my gift?”

“Hmmmm,” Apple pretended to consider. “Let me try it out first.”

She playfully dragged the teeth of the comb through her hair, and Raven watched in horror as the strands began to dry up and mat themselves together. If that weren’t bad enough, the damage that started in the area the comb touched began to spread to Apple’s entire head, making her hair look like an honest to goodness disaster.

“Oh…” said Apple, rather simply. She held up a brittle clump of hair. “I’m… guessing that wasn’t supposed to happen?”

“No! No, no, not at all,” Raven assured. She took the comb from Apple and examined it closely. “I’m so, so sorry Apple. I tried it out on myself just this morning, and it was working perfectly! I don’t know what happened…”

Apple sighed in resigned frustration. “Well, what’s done is done. I think I’d like to go back to the house now, if that’s okay.”

“Yes! Of course, let me walk you.” Raven began to walk in time with her, though a quiet tension remained.

“I understand if you’d rather not, but,” Raven broke the silence, “would it be okay if I helped you brush your hair back out? Since it is my fault.”

Apple smiled, which made Raven feel immediately better, because it meant she must not have been that mad. “Sure, Raven,” she said. “As long as you’re gentle. And, no magic please?”

Raven agreed to the terms, choosing not to argue back that she was actually amazing with magic and hadn’t made a mistake quite that bad since she was fifteen. She was almost positive that the comb messing up had something to do with Kitty or Courtly, but had no way to prove it, and nothing to earn by snitching on them to Apple.

So they spent maybe three hours on and off with Apple sitting on the carpet, Raven behind her on the couch, carefully picking apart knots and mats with combs, brushes, and conditioner.

* * *

Raven didn’t dare do anything with the comb; she just threw it in the trash.

Her third gift idea, as recommended by Maddie, was an apple crumb cake. Maddie unfortunately had to walk her through it a bit, due to her inexperience in baking, but she made sure that the only hands touching the ingredients were her own. As a finishing touch, Raven put a magic-proofing charm in the dough.

“This way, Courtly can’t mess with it,” she told Maddie with a wink as she pushed the pan into the oven.

Maddie didn’t seem to completely understand why Raven’s cake was being threatened by Courtly’s magic, but she didn’t question it either.

The truth was, the charm didn’t completely spell-proof the cake. It could block out nearly any spell, certainly, but after the dough got baked, the heat changed the nature of the charm almost entirely, outside of the guaranteed failsafe. The failsafe of any curse or spell, as Raven and any witch or wizard worth their reputation knew, was true love’s kiss, in any form it may present itself. With her inexperience in baking and eagerness to get the cake to Apple, though, Raven didn’t think she would need to rely on her failsafe.

Sure enough, when Raven and Maddie took the cake out of the oven and left it to cool, Courtly and Kitty entered the kitchen with a plan.

“So get this,” Courtly started. “I’ve been practicing with more funner magics, and I want to try something really wild, like a big finale!”

She paused dramatically. “We’re gonna put whoever eats this cake into a big long sleep,” she said with a grin.

Kitty’s ears flickered. “A sleeping spell? No offense, Courtly, but that seems kind of weird.”

“No, it’s not just any old sleeping spell!” Courtly retorted. “It’s one of those eternal sleeps, yeah? It’d serve Raven right for lyin’ about not being royal and bringing her weird business over here, right?”

“Raven doesn’t deserve that!” Kitty insisted. “And Apple doesn’t either.”

Courtly shrugged, seemingly unbothered. “’S not about deserving it or not, it’s about having fun and doing hijinks! This’d be our biggest yet, Kitty.”

Kitty frowned, her ears folding back. “I’m not helping with a prank like this. You’re on your own.”

“Suit yourself,” said Courtly, and with a quick flurry of hand motions and red glittery magic, the spell sunk into the cake and left no evidence but a brief wisp of pitch-black magic smoke.

A few minutes later, Raven led Apple back into the kitchen to show her what she had made. “It’s an apple crumb cake!” she announced, showing it off with her arms. “Maddie told me you love apples, and I thought I’d try to make you something myself that won’t choke you or ruin your hair.”

She was going for tongue-in-cheek with that remark, but Apple winced at the memories. “Raven,” she started, “You know I appreciate the effort in all the gifts you’ve offered, and I’m going to tell you right now that I’d be honored to go on a date with you, but you understand why I’m nervous about this cake, right?”

Raven laughed, the rejection of her cake completely overridden by getting asked out. “Yeah, yeah, I get it. I made sure this one would be perfect, though. Here, I’ll taste it first to show you.”

Grabbing a dessert fork, Raven cut a small bite of cake for herself, and ate it swiftly. “See? Perfectly safe, and super delicious… Uh…” Raven felt dizziness slam her brain as soon as the cake went down her throat, and grabbed the counter for stability.

“Raven?! What’s wrong?” Apple asked frantically, but Raven couldn’t answer her. Not a second later, Raven’s eyes slid shut and she crashed down to the floor in a heap.

“Oh no, Raven!” Apple cradled her head in her arms. “Raven, please wake up!” She shook her gently at first, and then with more ferocity as she grew more panicked. 

“Heeeeyyyy, lovebirds!” Maddie sang as she skipped into the room. She stopped abruptly when the scene that greeted her was not of her friends having a cake date, but Apple with tears in her eyes and an unconscious Raven in her lap.

“Maddie,” cried Apple. “Maddie, Raven won’t wake up!”

After learning of the situation, Maddie ran to get the other Wonderland residents, hoping someone would have any kind of advice or explanation of what had happened. When they all gathered in the kitchen, Raven now provided with a pillow to lay her head on, it was Kitty who spilled first.

“Courtly put an eternal sleep spell in the cake!” she cried. “I should have stopped her but I didn’t.”

“Ugh, never took you for a snitch,” Courtly sniffed, and Kitty stuck out her tongue at her childishly.

Lizzie sentenced Courtly to a time out in the corner, to be enforced by Chase.

There was a brief interrogation period. Is there a way to reverse Courtly’s spell? No, duh, it was supposed to be a dooming eternal sleep spell. Does anybody else know anything about magic? Nope.

“Raven put a magic-proofing spell in the cake,” said Maddie, flapping her hands frantically. “Did it not work? Raven’s spells almost always work.”

“Maybe something happened to the spell while it was in the oven,” Bunny realized with a gasp. “I’ve heard that temperature and pressure changes can affect magic.”

They worried together as a group for what felt like hours before they became too emotionally exhausted to come up with anything useful.

“We should go to bed, and come at the problem fresh in the morning,” suggested Alistair. “Raven’s condition can’t get any worse while we rest up.”

Bunny sniffled and went back to her hutch to sleep, and others went to their respective rooms as well. Maddie lingered for a little while longer, but eventually turned in for the night, promising to the unconscious Raven to check in first thing in the morning.

But Apple stayed. How could she not, when she was the one joking about making Raven try the cake first? She sacrificed herself for Apple without even knowing she’d done it, and now she might not even get to talk to her ever again. Raven’s attempts at flirting were awkward sometimes, and her gifts might not have turned out like she wanted them to, but in spite of everything Apple still found herself charmed by her antics, and wanting to get to know her better. And now she was asleep forever.

Apple felt the tears trail down her cheeks, but couldn’t bring herself to stop them now that she was alone. She sobbed over the sleeping body of her friend, just trying to stay quiet enough for everyone else to sleep.

When her tears finally started to subside, she noticed that some of them had gotten onto Raven’s face, and scrambled to dab them away with her dress. This almost made her start crying again.

She decided she wasn’t leaving for the night. She picked Raven up off of the kitchen floor bridal style, and carried her into the parlor to place her on the couch. She’d sleep on the floor, she decided for herself. She smoothed the stray hairs off of Raven’s peaceful face, planted a small kiss to her cheek, and lay down on her makeshift bed on the carpet—

“Mmmn, Apple?”

She sat up like a gunshot had gone off. Raven’s eyes were open, and she was yawning like she’d just woken up from a nap.

Apple started crying again.

“Whoa, Apple, what—hey, what’s wrong?” Raven crooned, bringing her into her arms. Apple clung on like a child and sobbed silently for minutes on end.

Through her tears and hiccups, she tried to explain to Raven what happened: “C-Courtly put a s-s-spell in the cake,” gasp, “and you wouldn’t wake up and then-n I kissed you on the cheek—“

“Oh!” Raven seemed to come to a realization. “That must have been the failsafe in the magic-proofing charm. It’s, uh,” she blushed. “It’s true love’s kiss. That breaks any spell.”

Apple’s mind went blank. Goodness, what? She hid her face in her hands to hide her own blush. That’s so cute, she thought to herself, that’s so cute and weird. “S-So, magic says we’re each other’s true love?” she reiterated.

“Apparently,” said Raven, looking just as nervous.

On instinct, Apple’s eyes focused on Raven’s lips, then back to her eyes. Then, without a second thought, she placed her hands behind her true love’s head and pressed their lips together chastely.

She pulled back again after only a moment, nervous to see how she’d react, and saw Raven looking back at her with wide eyes.

“I… liked that a lot,” she squeaked.

Apple laughed and laced the fingers of her right hand with Raven’s, pressing them both to her cheek. “I did too.”

Raven paused, steeling herself for something before blurting, “Would you like to visit my castle some time?”

“Oh, yes, _your_ castle, that you work at, as a maid,” Apple teased.

“No, um.” Raven fidgeted while Apple tried her best to keep their hands laced together. “I’m really sorry, but I lied to you earlier. I know it’s wrong. I’m actually a queen. But not an evil queen!” she insisted.

Apple felt her mouth hanging open a little bit. It would certainly explain the expensive corset and vast knowledge of magic.

“But I did actually send that scroll to you, back in your village,” Raven continued, refusing to lift her eyes from their hands. “I wanted you to visit so I could try and court you properly, but you and Hunter misunderstood… So I came here in disguise, because I didn’t want you to be scared of me… I know that’s a lot. Please don’t be mad.”

By now, Raven’s eyes were scrunched close and she looked terrified of what Apple’s response might be. She wanted to be angry, but she just laughed.

“Raven,” she began, cupping her cheeks in her hands, “You are such a dork.” She burst into giggles, and Raven began laughing as well. “I can’t believe anybody ever thought you were evil or scary.”

Raven smiled nervously. “So, is that a yes to visiting? And not being mad at me?”

Apple pressed another kiss squarely on the queen’s lips. “It is absolutely a yes. I can’t wait to see what my courting gifts are going to be like now that we don’t have interfering tricksters coming after our relationship.”

The End

**Author's Note:**

> God this is actually the longest story I've ever written, to date. In the original Snow White fairytale, the evil queen does offer a corset, comb, and apple, in that order, but of course curses/poisons them all herself.
> 
> Eks, I hope you enjoyed reading this! It was a delight to think up and write. Happy holidays! <3


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